“Erasmus+” Wall “It Is Never Late____”: A vivid Artur Širin-Ettoja mural on V. Šopeno Street

A mural whose official title leaves a space

The mural at V. Šopeno g. 4 is called the “Erasmus+” Wall “It Is Never Late____”. The four underscores are part of the title: they leave room for a viewer’s unfinished sentence, decision, or new stage of life. This is one specific wall painting, not the whole Open Gallery area, so the coordinates lead directly to the work.

The work stands in a public street setting in the New Town station district. Step back to the opposite pavement to see the full composition, since it is large and will not fit in a close-up frame. The wall surface, windows, and surrounding roofs are part of its urban setting.

An old face and a young body

The central figure deliberately combines different signs of age. Its face suggests an older scientist or sage, while the body looks young, mobile, and ready for a journey. The contrast invites a reading about experience that does not have to close a person off from curiosity, learning, or change.

The mural uses vivid red, pink, yellow, and blue areas. Thin lines appear to float around the figure, while a train motif anchors the lower part. These colours connect the face, body, city wall, and idea of moving forward rather than serving only as decoration.

Artur Širin-Ettoja chose a theatrical, almost dreamlike image. It is better read as an open visual metaphor than as a documented portrait of one person.

An Erasmus+ idea in a public gallery

The Open Gallery description links the mural with the Education Exchanges Support Foundation and European Union Erasmus+ communication. Its central idea is direct: learning, travelling, or changing direction is not limited by age. A public wall takes that message out of a conference room and into an everyday city route.

Project material describes the composition as almost 15 metres high. Its scale is clearest when standing below it, where the human figure begins to compete with the façade. When taking photographs, leave room for residents, cyclists, and traffic.

How it relates to Open Gallery

The “Erasmus+” Wall is part of the expanded Open Gallery outdoor programme. The municipality describes the district as an open-air city gallery where new works appear beyond traditional exhibition rooms. This mural matters because it connects public art with learning and international movement.

Names can be confusing: the main Open Gallery website lists a different visitor address at Švitrigailos g. 29. This mural is at V. Šopeno g. 4, so use its coordinates and do not plan it as an indoor ticketed exhibition.

A respectful way to view the wall

The mural can be viewed free of charge from the street, without a ticket or registration. There is no separate opening schedule for the wall, but daylight reveals the colours best. Rain, winter snow, and changing light can alter the surface and the impression of the colours.

Move away from the roadway, keep doorways clear, and avoid photographing residents through windows. Do not touch the paint or climb on structures.